Departure

Departure went much smoother than expected.  We met at the park 'n ride in Madison and loaded up lots of luggage.  We had a Badger Coach bus waiting for us.  The excitement finally set it when everyone showed up with their matching team apparel.  Here's a few pics at the bus.

We didn't have the entire team there, though.  We had to pick up Dan Benz in Janesville, and Arik Lebda met us at Ohare Airport.  The ride down was fun.  A few cold beverages, some great conversation, and before we knew it we were at the airport.  We were a bit concerned about getting all 18 people and 36 bags through the ticket counter in an orderly fashion, but it went very, very smoothly.  It was quick, efficient, and everyone got through security a-ok.  Here's some pics of the bus ride and the check in process at the airport.

Walking through the airport, we made quite a spectacle.  People stared at us in our matching gear like we are a big deal.  If they only knew :)   Now we're getting our last American meal for a week (unless we hit the many McDonalds and KFC's in China).  Our flight leaves in 2 hours.  Next update will come from the other side of the world.